1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to telecommunications protocols, and more specifically to a protocol used to ensure that first responders gain access to wireless cellular communications during emergencies.
2. Description of the Related Art
A spike in call volume often occurs within the wireless cellular communication system following a disaster. The call volume spike is a resultant of a variety of non-emergency “I'm ok are you ok?” type calls, to truly emergency calls placed by first responders dealing with public safety operations in response to the disaster. When the call volume spike exceeds the capacity of system servers required for call completion, the reliability of the system is degraded.
Such system degradation can result in failures ranging from spotty outages to a complete system crash in which no calls can be completed. However, it is essential that first responders have effective and reliable access to the wireless cellular telecommunications system in addition to other systems that may be in use for emergency communication.
German patent DE 4302820, dated October, 1994 discloses a mobile radio telephone unit including telephone cards, credit cards and the like having mechanical and electronic interfaces. The cards are used to select between two radio networks based on a pre-defined priority. There apparently is, however, no discussion or suggestion of exclusively giving first responders access to either of the two networks.
Additionally, Japanese patent JP 2004015717, dated January, 2004, discloses a priority control function that prioritizes the myriad of features contained in a mobile telephone, however does not disclose nor suggest a means for exclusively giving first responders access to the mobile telephone switching center.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus, a first responder communication system solving the aforementioned problems is desired.